Bottle cap



Spt. 4, 1934. A, R, POLL'O K 1,972,358

BOTTLE CAP Filed June 18, 1932 4 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 4, 1934. R.POLLOCK 1,972,353

BOTTLE CAP I Filed June 18. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 4, 1934BO'I'I'LE CAP Arthur B. Pollock, Piqua, Ohio, asaignor to The ToledoBottle Cap 00., loledo, Ohio, a corporation or Ohio application June 18,1932, Serial No. 617,975 7 2Claims.

. This invention relatesto caps of the hood-type particularly adaptedfor use on milk bottles in addition to the stopper members customarilyemployed for closing the mouths of such bottles.

5 The primary object of the invention is the provision of a cap of thischaracter comprising a single piece of pliant material such as a heavyor stifi grade of paper, folded in such manner as to form a cap to fitdown over the mouth end of m a bottle and to provide integralself-contained locking means for firmly retaining the lower edge of theskirt portion in holding engagement with the contracted portion of thebottle neck immediately below the shouldered mouth lip.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, andseveral embodiments thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cap embody- 2@ ing one form ofthe invention applied to a milk bottle, with a portion of the cap brokenaway. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a reducedplan of the blank from which the cap is formed. Fig. 4 is a centralvertical section of a cap formed from said blank with the locking tonguemembers thereof in unlocked position. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of aslightly different .form of cap, with the locking tongues in unlockedposition. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of such cap as it appears appliedto the mouth of a bottle with the tongues in locked position. 7 is asection on the line. 7-7 in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a plan of a blankiromwhich the cap shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 is formed, and Fig. 9 is a blankmodified slightly from that of Fig. 3.

A cap of the form shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 is made from a substantiallysquare blank of pliant material, such for instance as a heavy or ratherstifi grade of paper, scored to provide folding lines and dividing theblank into a central polygonal top portion 1 and a surrounding marginalskirt portion 2, as shown in Fig. 3. The skirt is also divided by thescoring into a plurality of main body panels 3 and tongue portions 4alternately arranged and separated fromv each other by triangle fold orcrimp sections 5.

The top panel portion 1 should comprise a regular polygon with an evennumber of sides greater than four, which number in this form of theinvention is eight, and if the blank is of square form, as shown, thesides of the top panel should be so disposed that four of them areparallel to the blank sides, and four face the respective corners of theblank. The skirt secto tions project from the sides which are paralleltongues.

to the blank sides and the skirt sections 4 project from the sides whichface the blank corners, and the inner ends of each of such sections arecoextensive with the length of the sides from which they project. Thebody sections 3 of the skirt so gradually broaden from their inner endsoutwardly, and the tongue sections 4 gradually narrow from their innerends outwardly along the respective lines defining the interposedtriangular crimp sections 5. The lines of each section 5 5 divergeoutwardly from a point of connection of the adjacent sides of the toppanel 1, and the tongue sections 4 are disposed at the corners of theblank, as shown, so that such sections are longer than the sections 3. I7

When the skirt portion 2 is folded down with respect to the top portion1, the crimp sections 5 and attached side edge portions of the bodysections 3 fold inwardly under or at the inner side of the respectiveside edges of the tongue sections 4, such folding, due to the triangularshape .of the crimp'sections 5, causing a drawing-in or contraction ofthe lower edge portionof the skirt about the bottle neck relative to theupper or inner edge thereof, as shown in Fig. 1. The free so ends of thetongue sections new project below the skirt edge, as shown in Fig. 4,and are then tucked within the cap between the-skirt edge and bottleneck to the full permissible extent, so that the tongues wrap closelyaround the respective 35 end edge portions of the bodysections 3 whichthey lap, and hold the-lower edge of the skirt against expansion, thusresisting its withdrawal from engagement with the bottle. It is apparentthat any spreading, pull or expanding force ap- 9 plied to the skirtportion of the cap to-release it from a bottle neck will cause the lowerend edge portions of the skirt sections 3.to bear outwardly against thefold of the tongues so that the tongues resist a loosening of theengagement of the cap 5 with the-bottle.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs.

5, 6 and 7, the construction is substantially the same as in Figs. 1 and4, except that in folding the skirt, the side edge portions of the bodysections and the triangular crimp sections thereof are folded over orlap the outer sides instead of the inner sides of the body portions ofthe locke ing tongues, so that the free portions of the tonguesprojecting below the skirt may be turned 1 outwardly and upwardly aroundthe coacting end edge portions of the body sections and thenhave theirends inserted through holding slits provided in the inner end portionsof the respective One form of blank for forming the cap, shown in Figs.5, 6 and '7, is shown in Fig. 8, and is substantially the same as theblank shown in Fig. 3, with the exception that the tongues are ofsomewhat greater length, the extensions thereof being formed by cornerextensions of the blank, and the sides of the blank intermediate thetongues being notched to cut away surplus material instead of being leftstraight as shown in Fig. 3.

In this form of the invention, 11 designates the central top portion ofthe blank, 12 the skirt portion thereof, and 13, 14 and 15 the body,tongue and triangular crimp sections, respectively, of the skirtportion. The free ends of the tongues, when interlocked with the cap,extend through slits 16 provided in the inner end portions of therespective tongues between the con nected lapping portions of the skirt.It will be noted that the outer end portions of the crimp sections 15,which extend beyond the lower edges of the sections 13, when folded, arecut away, thus making the portions of the tongues 14, which projectbeyond the skirt, of single thickness, as shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a blank for forming a cap similar to the cap of Figs. 1, 2 and4, except that the center or top panel portion, designated 21, comprisesa six-sided instead of an eight-sided polygon. Accordingly, the blankresembles more the shape of the equilateral triangle than it does asquare. In this form, 22 designates the skirt portion, and 23, 24 and 25the body, tongue and triangular crimp sections, respectively, of theskirt portion.

It is apparent that I have provided a hood-type of cap for milk bottles,or the like, which is composed of a single piece of pliant materialscored or weakened along predetermined lines to facilitate a folding ofthe skirt portion of the cap down around the neck of a milk bottle andsuch skirt portion has integral means for looking it in folded sealingrelation to the bottle neck, thus eliminating the use of bands and otherseparatepiece means commonly employed forretaining a hood cap inengagement with a bottle neck.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specificform, construction or arrangement of the parts, as it is capable ofnumerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit ofthe claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent, is:

1. A bottle cap of foldable material having a top portion of polygonalform with a number of sides greater than four, a skirt integrallyattached to and depending from the edge of the top portion and having aplurality of body sections and a plurality of locking sections adaptedto lap adjacent portions of the body sections and engage around the freeend edges thereof to retain the skirt in contracted bottle neck engagingposition, said body and locking sections projecting alternately fromsuccessive sides of the top portion, said skirt having slits with whichthe free ends of the tongues are interengaged to retain the sections incap form.

2. A bottle cap of pliant material having a top portion and a marginaldepending skirt portion, the skirt portion having pairs of opposedcrimps at spaced intervals therearound and also having a locking tongueintermediate each pair of crimps projecting below and adapted to engagearound the free end edges of such crimps and resist an expansion of theskirt, said skirt having slits with which the locking tonguesinterengage to retain them in locking position.

- ARTHUR R. POLLOCK.

